Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Hey Ladies!!! Through the Camera Obscura

LAYLAH AMATULLAH BARRAYN

My first encounter with Laylah was through a feature story on her photography collective, She Shootin’ in the Fall 07 issue of TRACE. From then on, I started to see her work everywhere. Laylah began her creative journey as a child under the tutelage of her uncle, illustrator Leonard Armstrong studying cartooning and illustration. She also spent nearly a decade studying ballet and modern dance and she has performed at the Apollo Theater and Aaron Davis Hall. Her desire to seriously pursue photography was sparked by the historic Million Woman March in 1997. Her work received national attention when her images were included in the Deborah Willis photo-anthology, “BLACK: A Celebration of a Culture,” co-published by the Smithsonian Institution. Her journalism has taken her abroad to Asia, Africa and the Caribbean and her writing has appeared in Essence, The Source, Uptown, Complex, STUDIO: The Magazine of the Studio Museum in Harlem among other publications.

WHAT DO YOU DO? I'm an educator and an artistWHERE DO YOU CALL IT HOME? Crown Heights, BrooklynTRUE BEAUTY IS…humilityBEATS…are soundtrack of existenceTRUE SEXY IS…realizing the sexiness of selfMUSIC IS MY…oxygenART DOES NOT…boreMY NIGHTS ARE…sensualTHESE 3 TURN ME ON…beautiful, humble men, jazzy trumpets and a nice smileSELF-KNOWLEDGE …mandatory for survivalENOUGH OF …egos!MY CREATIVITY IS…has a mind of it ownTRUE POWER IS…comes from self and knowing truthLIFE CAN BE THE... ultimate quickie! count your blessings and adore your daysTO LOVE IS TO…be conscious of loveI'VE GOT FLOW BECAUSE….I'm from BrooklynTHE WOMAN OF THE FUTURE…accepts and cherishes all of her being, inside and outWHERE CAN WE REACH YOU? www.KindredCool.orgWHAT'S NEW FOR 2008? True Love! And a new camera!

Laylah's affinity for jazz was recognized by the Jazz Journalist Association in 2005 when she was granted the Clarence Atkins Fellowship for her jazz writings. Her latest solo exhibition, Kindred Cool, will open at MoCADA on August 3, 2008. I had a chance to work with Laylah, as she asked me to design her flier for the show (see below). I must say that she is not only an amazingly talented artist, but is also one of the hardest working ones. I highly recommend it